About the Book

First published in 1937, this collection presents a series of vignettes on Japanese life and thought, taken from 25 years of the author's work for the Japanese tourist board between 1912 and 1937.

Dealing in subjects as diverse as wrestling, singing insects and Japanese humour, this reissue offers a fascinating insight into the life and culture of pre-World War Two Japan which is of great historical interest, not only to students of Asian studies but to all those interested in Japan, its people and its heritage.

Table of Contents

1. Angling in Japan 2. Tokonoma 3. Bonseki, or tray Landscapes 4. Japanese Humour, Old and New 5. The Romance of a Mask-Maker 6. Incense Ceremonies 7. The Shōsōin 8. Hot Springs in Japan 9. Singing Insects 10. Miniature Plants 11. Among my Books 12. The Uguisu 13. Japan Weather 14. The Bamboo 15. Bonkei,or Miniature Landscapes 16. Wrestling, the National Game of Japan 17. In the Land of Snow 18. The Katana, the Soul of the Samurai 19. Tricky Traders in Art 20. The Ayu, the Queen of the River